The Forgotten Children
by emaline-95
Summary: Tears spill down Belle's face. "My baby..." she whispers shakily. Distraught, she falls to her knees, and screams. "MY BABY!" She sobs. "They took my baby!"
1. Prologue

**Prologue: Revelation**

A shockwave burst through the town. It reverberates in the eyes of all the people, stopping them in their tracks.

Light dawns in their eyes as memories, long locked away and forgotten, come rushing back, along with their real identities.

One woman, standing in the street, turns around when she hears a familiar voice.

"Snow!"

Snow White turns around, hearing her name being called for the first time in 28 years.

"Charming..." she breathes. Her face lights up with joy; right there, on the street, is her beloved - they have found each other.

* * *

Meanwhile, Belle and Rumpelstiltskin walk through the woods toward the wishing well. Without warning, Belle falls to her knees, clutching her head, and gasps.

"Lacey? Lace Are you alright?" Rumpelstiltskin asks urgently, hands hovering by her arms, his face contorted with fear.

"Ru...Rumpel...?" Belle croaks out blearily. Rumpelstiltskin gasps. He grabs her arms and pulls her up.

"Belle?" He asks in wonder, almost not daring to believe it.

"Ow, my head...it's killing me," she groans.

He gently takes her hands from her head and holds them over his heart.

"You remember me?" Rumpelstiltskin ventures breathily.

"Yeah...but -." Suddenly, flashes of memory come back to her all at once.

_She's running through the woods; the sound of horse hooves pounding in pursuit drives her on. Smoke appears in front of her, revealing the Evil Queen._

_She's pacing in the dungeon absentmindedly, with her hand on her stomach. The door creaks open. The Evil Queen peers in, catches sight of Belle's stomach, and smiles._

_A baby's cry pierces the air._

_The guards hold her back as she desperately begs for her child to be returned to her. Her cries are ignored, and the sound of a whimpering child fades into the distance._

Tears spill down Belle's face. "My baby..." she whispers shakily. Distraught, she falls to her knees, and screams. "MY BABY!" She sobs. "They took my baby!"


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Confrontation**

_Previously…._

_Tears spill down Belle's face. "My baby…" she whispers shakily. Distraught, she falls to her knees, and screams. "MY BABY!" She sobs. "They took my baby!"_

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin is shocked, not knowing what to make of what he just heard. He lets go of Belle's arms and stumbles back slightly, taken by surprise. "A…baby?" He says shakily, mostly to himself, but still loud enough to be heard. "What…what baby…? Belle…?" A flash of anger races through him like a lightning bolt, but fades nearly just as quickly, replaced by sad resignation.

Of course. Of_ course_ she'd go for someone else after she left. He was just a monster then, anyways. How foolish of him, to think that there was something there, even after….

"Belle…." His voice is still shaky with shock and heartache and something almost bordering fury, his face a distraught mix of disbelief and confusion. "Who…?"

Belle looks up at him, tears still tracing small rivers on her cheeks. She sees his reaction and instantly knows what he's thinking. "No, no…Rumpel…." She says desperately, her voice quivering with sorrow and barely controlled sobs. She grasps at Rumpelstiltskin's hand. Her heart breaks even more when he flinches. "Rumpel…she's _our_ baby." She tells him as forcefully as she can through her tears, hoping, _praying _that her words will get through to him. "She's _yours_!"

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes go wide, light dawning in them as he understands. _Their_ baby? Belle had a child…with _him? He'd_ had a child? When they…just once, in the heat of the moment…but still, he hadn't thought it was possible. And now….

His attention turns back to the woman who is clutching his hand, almost as if it were a lifeline. "Oh, Belle…" He says softly. He shakes his head slightly, trying to process everything – it was all happening too fast, all at once. He pulls his hand away from hers, only to wrap his arms around her shaking form in a tight embrace. Belle clings to him like a lifeline, sobbing, her cries increasing in volume as the dam holding her emotions in is completely shattered.

"Shhh, Belle." He soothes, rubbing her back gently. "Shhh, it's okay."

"No! No, it's not okay! They…they _took_ her!" Her voice is racked with sobs. "They took my baby…our Darla!"

_Darla. My child's name is Darla, _he thinks. He pushes her back at arm's length and looks her in eyes. "Who, love?" He asks insistently, urgently. "_Who_ took her?"

"It was Regina…." Belle croaks out. The next words rush out of her, disrupted occasionally with hiccupping sobs. "R-Regina captured me, an-and she knew the baby was yours, and when she was born, she…." Belle breaks off, unable to continue, and bursts into tears anew.

Rumpelstiltskin's blood simmers with indignation. _The Evil Queen. Regina. Of course it would be_ her.

He clenches his teeth inside his mouth. That woman had done whatever she could, grasped at any opportunity she had to get the upper hand on him. But this time, she had gone too far.

"Belle…."Rumpelstiltskin tells her as gently as he can despite the hard edge in his voice. "Don't worry." He straightens and takes her hand. "We'll find her. I promise you, Belle; we'll find her. Come with me." He leads the crying woman through the forest once again, toward the wishing well.

* * *

The purple cloud of magic dissipates, wisps of it evaporating into the air. Granny, Red, the Blue Fairy, and the Dwarves crowd together in the street, along with Snow White, Prince Charming, Emma, and Henry. Snow White holds Emma's hands, bordering on clinging, elated to be reunited with her daughter after all this time.

For a few long minutes, the group chatters and laughs. It's not long, though, before questions about what the purple smoke was arrive.

The Blue Fairy opens her mouth to answer, but is interrupted before the first word is out of her mouth.

Rumpelstiltskin storms up the street toward the group, leading a puffy-eyed Belle by the hand. Snow White lets go of Emma's hands as she and the others turn to face him.

"Where is Regina?" Rumpelstiltskin demands with a growl. His face is a mask of fury. "We need to speak to her. _Now_."

"She's probably hiding." Charming answers. "Now that everyone remembers what she did, the only safe place for her would be locked up in her house. If there's not a mob there already…." He trails off as he looks in the direction of Regina's house.

Rumpelstiltskin doesn't seem the least bit phased. "I don't _care_ about any mob; I have the biggest bone there is to pick with her, and everyone else. Can. Wait." He turns around, Belle in tow, and marches off in the direction of Regina's. Everyone else looks at each other with confused eyes. They quickly follow him.

* * *

Sure enough, there is a mob in front of Regina's house.

"Come out, Regina!" An irate man yells out. His cries are echoed by the rest of the crowd. The man pounds on the door with his fist in fury, taking a glance into the front window. "Open up! Open up, or we're coming in!"

The door is wrenched open from the inside. "Can I help you?" Asks Regina mockingly.

"That smirk isn't gonna last forever, Regina." The man says. "You've taken everything from us. And now – ."

"And now? What? You're going to kill me?"

Suddenly, the crowd parts. "No, but _I _just might!" A growl shouts over the voices of the mob. Rumpelstiltskin marches through the throng of people, eyes fixed on Regina.

* * *

**Authors' note: Hey y'all! Sorry it took us so long to update. Hope you enjoy this; more to come soon! **

**Oh, and please review.**

**Sky: I'm watching you!**

**Emaline: Sky, stop. You're freaking them out...**

**Sky: *whining* But...but they're not reviewing and it makes me sad and they have to and...and...and... *sniffles***

**Emaline: *sighs* It's ok sky, I'm sure they're just really busy...*glares at reader***

**Sky: *still pouting* No! If they have time to read, they have time to review! It doesn't even have to be a complete sentence for Heaven's sake!**

**Emaline: I know, I know...*pats her on the back* Hey, why don't you do the disclaimer? that always makes you happy!**

**Sky: *sighs and relents* Okay... Neither of us own anything belonging to the makers of Once Upon a Time. We just like messing with them. :)**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Darla

_Previously…._

_"__That smirk isn't gonna last forever, Regina." The man says. "You've taken everything from us. And now – ."_

_"__And now? What? You're going to kill me?"_

_Suddenly, the crowd parts. "No, but _I_ just might!" A growl shouts over the voices of the mob. Rumpelstiltskin marches through the throng of people, eyes fixed on Regina._

* * *

"Oh?" Regina asks nonchalantly, as if she doesn't think much of the threat. "Mr. Gold, to what do I owe the pleasure? Or is it _Rumpelstiltskin_ now?"

Belle steps up from behind the man in question, her hand wrapped around his wrist. "Stop playing games, Regina." She demands, her voice quivering slightly, but still firm. "You know perfectly well why we're here."

Rumpelstiltskin comes closer and gets right up in Regina's face. "Where is _my daughter_?" He hisses.

Regina pales. "Who?" she asks, trying to play dumb. The show of ignorance doesn't work, not for a second. Instead, it backfires, almost literally.

Rumpelstiltskin lights his hand on fire. Hot, orange flames lick threateningly from his palm, his eyes boring into Regina's with a menacing look. Belle puts her hand on his shoulder soothingly and looks at Regina. "Darla. The child you took from me."

"Oh. That." Regina says, acting as if she was just now remembering a very trivial matter. "Oh, you see, I'd love to help, but, um…I have visitors." She wiggles her fingers in the direction of the crowd.

"Oh, they can wait." Rumpelstiltskin drawls out.

"Well, then, in that case," Regina replies, realizing that she is backed into a corner, "let's go for a walk." She motions for them to go ahead in front of her. Rumpelstiltskin glares. "Okay, then," she says, raising her hands in a placating gesture.

Regina meanders through them and walks down the path made by the crowd. The mob sends her daggers with their eyes; if looks could kill, she would definitely be laying skewered on the ground. They step back further, giving her a wider berth.

The three pass the gates, where the party of Charmings, Dwarves, and the Blue Fairy are waiting. As Rumpelstiltskin, Belle, and Regina walk out into the middle of the street, the group follows them.

"_What_ is going on?" Emma demands.

Rumpelstiltskin points at Regina, but Belle beats him to punch. "She took my baby, our daughter, before the curse."

"Wait. _You two_ had a kid?" Emma cuts in, incredulous.

"Yes." The couple answers in unison. "And now," Rumpel says, "we want her back."

All eyes turn to Regina. The woman sighs. "You see," she begins, "there's a little problem with that. Before the curse, I gave the child to another family and sent them to this world. Apparently, they went against my instructions to keep her origins a secret. Ten years ago, she came here, looking for you. I couldn't have her finding you and stirring things up, so I put her in a sleeping curse. And she's been in it ever since."

Belle gasps, and tears spring up in her eyes at the thought of her daughter's fate. Rumpelstiltskin is _furious_. With murder in his eyes, he starts toward Regina. Belle holds him back, crying.

Suddenly, Emma pipes up. "Wait. There's a way to break the curse." The couple, as well as the others of the group, turns to her. "I broke Henry's sleeping curse with a kiss on the forehead."

Snow White turns from her daughter and looks at Belle. "A mother's love is the purest of all."

Belle and Rumpelstiltskin look back at Regina. "Take me to her." Says Belle, still clinging to Rumpelstiltskin.

"_Now._" Rumpelstiltskin orders with a growl. It is clear there is no more room for discussion.

Without a word, Regina turns and leads them down the street.

* * *

They end up at the hospital. Regina takes the company down to the psychiatric ward, where Belle was held captive. They head down the hall and stop at a door. "She's in here," Regina tells them. As she fiddles with the keys and unlocks the door, Belle leans in to Rumpelstiltskin.

"Just a few doors down," she says as she points to a nearby door on the opposite wall of hallway, "That was my room. For ten years…we were just three doors apart from each other…." Silent tears stream down Belle's cheeks.

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes widen at the revelation. _So close, _he thought. His heart ached. _All this time, I was so close to both my girls…. _

The sound of the lock clicking pulls him back to the present. Regina opens the door, and she steps back and motions for them to enter first. Rumpelstiltskin and Belle go inside, and the others head in after them, Regina bringing up the rear.

Laying on the bed, sleeping, is a girl, no older than her late teens. Everyone, except for Regina, lets out a small gasp – there is no doubt who the mother is; the girl looks a shocking amount like a younger Belle.

"Darla." Belle murmurs with emotion at the sight of her daughter. She approaches the bed that the girl has been sleeping on for ten years. Belle then stoops down and kisses her daughter's forehead.

A colored wave of magic washes through the room as the curse breaks, just as it had with Henry and Snow White before her. The girl awakes with a gasp. Belle strokes her fingers through her daughter's hair and helps her to sit up slowly.

The girl blinks sleepily, and then her eyelids open completely, revealing the murky brown, small-pupiled eyes of the Dark One.

* * *

**~Authors note~**

**Emaline: As always, please review.**

**Sky: yes please!**

**Emaline: lets show a little appreciation, sky?**

**Sky:ok!... much thanks to: belle(anon), nahbois68, AReaderOnly, Guest(anon), dianamustang2, Grace5231973, emilie(anon), and nathalia(anon).**

**Emaline: Also, we do not own OUAT, just our OC's.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Drugged by Weirdos**

_Previously…_

_The girl blinks sleepily, and then her eyelids open completely, revealing the murky brown, small-pupiled eyes of the Dark One._

* * *

All the people in the room gasp – that is, except for Regina, who rolls her eyes, looking quite bored with the whole situation.

Darla looks around the room, utterly confused and disoriented. "What…what's going on? Who are you people?" The last thing she can remember is eating an apple turnover at Mayor Mills' house. Speaking of which…. Her eyes zero in on Regina, picking out the only familiar face in the room.

"_You!_" She shrieks, furious. "You little – !"

"Darla!" Belle exclaims, shocked by her daughter's behavior. Darla glances over at the woman kneeling by her bedside.

"Um…do I know you?" She asks. Belle opens her mouth as if to speak, but Rumpelstiltskin gently lays his hand on her shoulder.

"No, dearie, you don't," he says, "but it seems to me that you know _her_." He gestures to Regina with his cane.

"Yeah, that's right! What did you put _in_ that pastry? Some form of date rape drug, or something? What kind of sick people are you?" Darla rants, shouting at Regina – and to the populace of the room in general. Everybody's eyes go wide, swapping their gazes between the irate girl and Regina.

"Darla, please calm down…." Charming tries to console her. "We know you're upset, but let's not – ." The last sentence is drowned out by Darla, who once again starts out on a rant.

"Calm down?! _Calm down?! _I _WILL NOT 'calm down'!_" She chucks her pillow at him with surprising force. Charming ducks, sending the pillow flying over him and on a collision course with Regina, who happens to be standing behind him. Regina merely lifts her hand and a wave of magic stops the pillow in its place, before it falls harmlessly to the floor in front of her.

Darla's eyes flash murky brown.

Everyone turns back to Darla and stares. Snow says tentatively, "Let's not…let's not do that again…"

"You want me to handcuff her?" Emma asks casually – which is the last thing she should have said.

Darla shrieks, and she's out the door before they even know it, leaving a very confused Charming lying on his back. Everyone else just blinks vacantly at the open, still swinging, door. Regina casually leans against the door frame, not at all perturbed by this turn of events.

"Darla!" A split second later, Belle is up and out the door, racing after her daughter.

Rumpelstiltskin glares at Regina for the umpteenth time that day. "And _why_ did you not stop her?"

Regina just shrugs. "She's your daughter. So she's your problem, not mine."

Rumpelstiltskin stalks up to her and, once again, gets in her face, cane pointed at her viciously. "'Not your problem'?" he repeats. "She _became_ your problem the second you put her under that sleeping curse."

Regina answers nonchalantly. "Yeah, well, she's out of it now. So instead of wasting your time blaming me, I suggest you go after your daughter. You know, _before_ she crosses the town line? At least Belle knows how to be a responsible parent."

Rumpelstiltskin says nothing, just snarls and hobbles out the door.

* * *

The main hospital door bangs shut. Darla rushes out of the building and steps into the street. Her eyes flick around, taking in the buildings lining the road. Finally, something she recognizes. She doesn't, however, recognize the people. The only one she remembers meeting is Regina.

The clicking of footsteps on pavement comes up from behind her, and she whirls around. A man with curly auburn hair walks up to her, looking concerned. "Are you okay? You look lost." Darla slowly begins to back away from him. Then she whirls around the other direction and bolts for the woods.

It would be safer there.

* * *

Belle is frantically looking for her daughter. She just got her back; no way was she going to lose her now. She zigzags through the town, racing down the streets.

But there is no sign of her precious child.

* * *

The teenage girl trudges through the woods. The birds above her in the trees flit around and whistle a merry tune. Except for that, and the occasional rustle of an unseen animal among the foliage, and her footsteps, all is quiet.

To her, it is a relief.

But not very much of one. There isn't much cover out here in the forest. If she stays out in the open like this, they are sure to find her. Judging by how they drugged her then locked her up in some room in a basement, they would no doubt be hunting her down to drag her back.

_I have to find a place to hide, _she thinks, forcing herself to remain calm despite the panic roiling in her gut and threatening to rise. _Maybe there's an abandoned place out here?_

After a while, she steps out of the woods and onto a gravel trail. Darla gazes at it for a second, curious, before looking down the direction it leads. She decides to follow it.

_Maybe it will lead to an old shelter or something – a hiding place. _

The girl wanders down the road, her tennis shoes crunch-crunching the gravel underneath her feet. A few minutes later, she comes to a small clearing. She lets out a grateful sigh of relief. There, at the end of the path, is what appears to be an abandoned log cabin. She sprints to the house and up the porch.

Darla comes to a stop at the door. When she touches the doorknob, she receives a sharp shock to her fingertips. She hisses in surprise. _Darn static electricity,_ she thinks irritably. She tentatively reaches for the doorknob again. This time, there is no shock, just the squeak of hinges as the door swings open.

* * *

**Sky: Hello everyone! XD**

**Emaline: Greetings earthlings!...**

**Sky: Emaline, we're ALL earthlings.**

**Emaline: That's what they WANT you to think...**

**Sky: (sighs) If you say so. Anyways, here's another chapter for you guys! **

**Emaline: bon appetit!**

**Sky: Hope you enjoy it! Emaline, will you do the honors?**

**Emaline: We do not own OUAT, just our OC's, and thanks to: RaziOUAT, Prisoner of Azkaban711, tanya2byour21, Kira Tsumi, Grace5231973, Left my heart in Paris, belle(Anon), Ryunn Kazan.**

**Sky: And we are now taking any questions you have about the story! Please submit all inquiries to the review box. And now we take our leave. :) **


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Quest for Parents

_Previously…_

_Darla comes to a stop at the door. When she touches the doorknob, she receives a sharp shock to her fingertips. She hisses in surprise. Darn static electricity, she thinks irritably. She tentatively reaches for the doorknob again. This time, there is no shock, just the squeak of hinges as the door swings open._

Rumpelstiltskin is halfway out the hospital door when it hits him. _Magic_. It's pulsing through his veins, telling him that something is amiss. He senses that something – or someone, entered his. Cabin in the woods.

But that is impossible. The cabin has a protection spell on it; only he or Belle should be able to enter.

Then it dawns on him. _Darla!_

Belle desperately combs the town for any sign of her distressed daughter, searching high and low. She describes her to several people in the hope that one of them may have seen her, but no such luck. Just as she is making a loop back towards the hospital, she spots Rumpelstiltskin across the street. The man is hurrying along the sidewalk, appearing to be on his way into the surrounding woods. Belle rushes to catch up with him.

"Rumpel!" she tells him once she's at his side. "I can't find her!" Her eyes start to water.

"Shh, Belle," Rumpelstiltskin soothes, rubbing his thumb along her cheek, "I think I know where she might be."

She looks up at him questioningly.

"The protection shield around my cabin has been breached. That can mean only one thing."

"Darla," they breathed at the same time.

Darla steps quickly through the threshold, and the door shuts on its own behind her. She jumps and looks back at the door. "Must've been the wind," she mutters nervously. She begins to look around. There appears to be no light switch, so the only light is the sun's rays that filter through the window, casting strange-looking shadows whenever something blocks its path.

This cabin seems to be comprised of one room. On the far side of the room, Darla could see a bed, and to the right of it, some sort of wheeled contraption in front of a wooden chair. Against the left wall was a row of bookshelves, stuffed from top to bottom with old, dusty tomes and knickknacks, a table with two chairs set in front of it. As she stepped further into the room, she noticed a warm glow coming from the right wall. It was a fire place, with a leather chair in front of it, and the fire was still going. Her assumptions of this being an abandoned cabin, she realizes, must be wrong. Just when she is about to turn and flee out the cabin door before its owner comes back, something on the mantle catches her eye.

There is a wand – a long glass wand – lying on a stand on the mantle above the fireplace. It reminds Darla of kind she's seen in fairytale movies. _Another minute won't hurt, _she reasons. Her eyes travel upward, and widen. Above the mantle, mounted in the wall, is the most beautiful sword she has ever seen. Runes decorate the length of the blade, and the hilt is encrusted with gems; the blade appears to be of pure silver, the hilt washed in gold. The whole thing glints and shines in the firelight; it is truly a work of art.

She finally tears her gaze away, and it lands on an object propped up against the wall to the right of the fireplace. She edges closer for a better look, and finds that it's a broom. A very, very, very _old_ broom. She can't quite put her finger on it, but she senses that there is something odd about this particular broom.

But before she can contemplate this farther, a ray of sunlight glints on something next to the broom. Her eyes flick in that direction, and land on an antique-styled mirror, the glass fully illuminated by the light filtering in from the outside. She steps sideways so she is in full view of the mirror.

The eyes looking back at her are not her own.

A scream rises from her throat, and she stumbles backward in a frenzy. The glass in the mirror shatters as her back bangs violently against a bookcase, sending books and various other objects crashing onto poor Darla.

A high-pitched scream shatters the otherwise quiet atmosphere of the woods. Belle and Rumpelstilskin look at each other, panic written on they're faces. They make a beeline for the cabin – or Rumpelstiltskin tries to – which is in sight. When they come up the porch, the door swings open for them, and they rush in.

Upon entering, they are met with the sight their daughter sprawled on the floor in front of the bookshelf, buried under a mountain of books and other various objects, with only her head, hands, and feet showing. Belle gasps, but Rumpelstiltskin shakes his head.

_Definitely Belle's daughter, _he thinks._ Surrounded by books, and clumsy._ He knows that Belle would whack him if she heard that, so he keeps his thoughts to himself. Belle crouches next to Darla and instinctively starts to unbury her. With a flick of Rumpelstiltskin's wrist and a wave of his hand, the books, and everything else, start to go back to their rightful places.

Darla groans and blinks her eyes. Belle is kneeling over her, and she focuses on the woman's face. "Darla, are you alright? Are you hurt?" Belle says, sounding concerned.

"Just peachy, thanks." Darla grumbles sarcastically, still dazed from being hit by an avalanche of books. "…um…who are you guys?" Belle lets out a sigh of relief, and gathers her daughter into her arms.

"Oh Darla, my precious child, thank goodness you're alright!" Those three words in the middle of the sentence register, and Darla blinks out of her stupor.

"Your…what?" Darla asks, confused. As she speaks, she straightens and slightly pulls back from the embrace. Belle takes hold of the teenager's arms and stands up, pulling Darla with her. "Who _are_ you? How do you know my name?" Once steadily on her feet, Darla takes a few steps back.

Belles gives a small sigh and looks over her shoulder at Rumpelstiltskin, who comes forward to stand by Belle's side. Belle tentatively reaches out, gently takes Darla's hands, and looks into her murky brown eyes. "Darla." She says softly, but firmly, as if talking to a spooked horse. "Do you remember? When you came here, you were looking for something."

* * *

FLASH BACK

* * *

A young woman steps out of a yellow taxi, backpack on her shoulder. "Are you sure you want me to stop here, miss? The nearest town is a 40 minute walk, at least." The scruffy taxi driver asks while scratching his chin.

"Nah, I'm good. A little bit of walking never hurt anyone. Besides, my friends are waiting for me in the woods up ahead. We're going to be roughing it for the weekend!" The girl exclaims, a big grin on her face.

"Okay, girly," the cab driver says, hands held up. "Whatever. That will be $56.50 for the ride."

"Certainly, my good man." She says with a fake British accent. She fishes out the cash and presents in to the driver. He takes the money, looks at her for a long moment, then shakes his head and turns the cab around back down the road. As the taxi leaves, the teenager salutes its rear bumper before it disappears around the bend.

She then does an about face and heads up the old, dusty, tree lined country road. Finally, she is getting somewhere. It took a few white lies…and some bold-faced ones, but it was all worth it. Truth is, there are no friends awaiting her in the woods. She isn't even going to the woods. Rather, a small town that apparently no one, except her adopted parents, knows even exists. But she knows that it exists. It has to.

Not ten minutes later, she sees a giant rock with a sign in front of it next to the road, and smiles wide. The sign is just an unremarkable white-letters on green-background sign, but to her, it is magic. And the magic is in what it says. She whispers it to herself. "Welcome to Storybrooke."

When she reaches the town, she stares in awe, mouth slightly open. "It actually exists! I'm not crazy! Yes!" She squeals, jumping up and pumping her fist in the air. The few people that are out and about turn their heads and look in her direction. "Oh…um," Darla clears her throat and looks down to straighten her shirt. Then she tucks her hands behind her back and strolls along, whistling awkwardly, not looking at anyone in the face.

Walking through the town, she peers in the windows of every shop, going back and forth across the street, until someone taps her on the shoulder. Turning around, she comes face to face with an impeccably dressed woman with short dark hair. "Oh, hi!" The girl says sheepishly with a small wave of her fingers.

"Yes. Hello." The woman answers. "I couldn't help but notice you wandering around."

"Oh?" She asks cautiously, nervous.

"Yes. I am Mayor Mills. Is there something I can help you with?"

The teenager's face brightens up. _The Mayor! _She thinks happily. _If anyone can help me, it's her. _

"Yes," she says aloud. "I was…um…well, I'm hoping I can find some…people I'm looking for."

"Oh? And who would that be?"

"Well…I don't exactly know their names…. But I know they're here!"

"And who are these people to you?" The mayor inquires.

"They're…they're my biological parents. My adopted family said I would find them here."

One of the mayor's eyebrows twitches up. "Oh? Well, in that case, why don't you come with me to my house, where we can talk about this more privately. I'll even make my famous apple turnover." She ends with a smile.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: False Hope

_Previously…_

"_And who are these people to you?" The mayor inquires._

"_They're…they're my biological parents. My adopted family said I would find them here."_

_One of the mayor's eyebrows twitches up. "Oh? Well, in that case, why don't you come with me to my house, where we can talk about this more privately. I'll even make my famous apple turnover." She ends with a smile._

* * *

Darla smiles back and nods. "That'd be awesome!"

"Yes, well, follow me. This way," she gestures with her hand. The woman turns and walks down the street, with Darla in tow. The young girl eagerly follows the mayor down the street and into a nice, residential neighborhood. They pass each house, one by one, until they come to a stop in front of a white picket fence, which surrounds an equally white mansion. The mayor leads the way through the gate and up the concrete walk way, which is bordered by neatly trimmed rectangular bushes.

"Here we are," Mayor Mills opens the door and steps aside with an "after you" motion. Darla walks forward past the mayor and into the house, the mayor coming in and closing the door behind her. She moves on ahead of her, and Darla follows the mayor through a very short hall and up a tiny flight of stairs. The hall opens up to a large foyer with a high ceiling, the floor inlaid with black and white tile, with stairs spiraling up one side. As Darla trails after the mayor, she gazes around at the luxuriousness of the house, taking everything in.

Eventually, they come to a gourmet kitchen. "So," begins Mayor Mills. The older woman flits around the room, gathering up baking supplies. "Have a seat, and we can talk while I make us a treat." Darla sits herself down on one of the bar stools by the counter.

"Thanks, Mayor Mills." Darla says gratefully.

"Oh, it's no problem, dear." The mayor answers as she begins to busy herself on the middle table, cutting up an apple and mixing up batter. "So tell me. What do you know of these elusive parents of yours?"

Darla sighs. "Well, not much," she admits, swinging her dangling legs slightly and looking at her feet like a guilty child, "My adoptive family told me that…my mom was very beautiful, and my dad, well…not so much. And he was a bit older than my mom. Okay, a _lot_. I'm told I have her eyes…."

"You certainly do," Mayor Mills murmurs. Darla looks at her quizzically, and she quickly rushes to cover up her mistake. "I mean, are you certain that's true?"

Darla shrugs. "Well, that's what they told me, anyways. It's not like I've actually _seen_ her, so…."

"So, how do you plan to find them, exactly?"

"Well…I was hoping maybe you could help?" The statement comes out as a question, and she looks up hopefully.

"Of course dear, I'll help you in whatever way I can…. The turn overs are almost done, why don't you go wash your hands? There's a bathroom down the hall, second door on your right."

Darla hops off the stool. "Thanks, I'll be right back" Once the door to the bathroom is closed, the mayor sneers.

"You will never know your parents, if I have anything to say about it," she hisses under her breath.

* * *

**A.N.**

**Emaline: Sorry it's a short chapter...I was feeling lazy-**

**Sky: Yeah! I had to do most of the work! *glares***

**Emaline: Yah...any ways, please review, even if it's just to complain about my laziness.**

**Sky: We'll extend this later... Don't forget, we own nothing but our plot and OCs. 'Til next time!**


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